Who Is Gourav Vallabh? Ex-Congress Leader Once Tore Into BJP With 'Zeroes In 5 Trillion' Debate

Gourav Vallabh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday after resigning from Congress earlier today.

Gourav Vallabh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday after resigning from Congress earlier today.

Gourav Vallabh, former Congress spokesperson joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday at the saffron party's headquarters in New Delhi. Earlier today, the former Congress leader resigned from the grand old party earlier today. However, Vallabh once tore into BJP during a TV debate in 2019 when he asked the saffron party's spokesperson how many zeroes there are in 5 trillion.

Know about Gourav Vallabh who quit Congress over its Anti-Sanatan remarks

Gourav Vallabh is a professor at the Xavier School of Management in Jamshedpur. 

The 47-year-old former Congress leader holds a doctorate in credit risk management, and is a certified chartered accountant, company secretary, and financial risk manager. He also holds degrees in LLB and Mcom.

Vallabh kickstarted his electoral journey in 2019 from Jharkhand's Jamshedpur East. He secured third place, trailing behind former CM Raghubar Das and Saryu Roy.

He contested from the Udaipur constituency in the 2023 Rajasthan assembly election. However, he could not win as BJP candidate Taranchand Jain emerged victorious after securing a substantial lead of over 32,000 votes.

Vallabh joined Congress in 2017, after which he was recruited as a media panelist by Randeep Singh Surjewala, the then communications chief of Congress. Thereafter, he began representing the grand old party on TV debates and held press conferences, on weekends, prior to Lok Sabha polls.

In a letter to Congress president Mallikaurjun Khare, Vallabh stated that he was uncomfortable with the party's stance on several issues including Ayodhya Ram Temple and the anti-Sanatan remark made by the party's allies. He also alleged that the Congress was moving aimlessly as it called for a caste-based census, opposing a complete Hindu society.

Vallabh posted the letter on X that read, “I am uncomfortable with the directionless way, in which the Congress Party is moving forward today. I can neither raise anti-Sanatan slogans nor abuse the wealth creators of the country all day long, which is why I am resigning from all posts and primary membership of Congress Party.”

Gourav Vallabh And The Viral TV Debate With Sambit Patra

During a TV debate on the state of the Indian economy in 2019, Gourav Vallabh put BJP's national spokesperson Sambit Patra on the spot when he asked him how many zeroes 5 trillion has. The question was put up by Vallabh while the two of them were discussing PM Modi's assertion that India will become a $5 trillion economy by 2024.

In response to this claim, Vallabh not only scoffed at the idea but also asked Patra if he knew "how many zeroes are there in a trillion?, which left the saffron party's spokesperson stumped.

Vallabh came into the limelight after a video from the debate went viral, where Patra could be seen averting Vallabh's question.

There was a time when Gourav Vallabh used to ask Sambit Patra how many zeros are there in 5 trillion and used to troll him.

Now after joining BJP, he will have to salute Sambit Patra and bow before him.

What a Downfall 🥺#GouravVallabh pic.twitter.com/A7HWbrsiby

— Harsh Tiwari (@harsht2024) April 4, 2024

In 2022, Vallabh also hit out at Shashi Tharoor over his AICC president poll bid. Taking a jibe at Tharorr, Vallabh stated that the former's "only major contribution" towards Congress was to send letters to Sonia Gandhi when the senior Congress leader was hospitalised.

Vallabh made those remarks about the letter sent to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 by a group of leaders, including Shashi Tharoor, seeking large-scale reforms in the grand old party.